Promoters of the Meijer Taylor Summer Festival announced that the legendary Charlie Daniels Band, Terri Clark and “American Idol’s” Josh Gracin will perform during the festival, scheduled for July 10-13 at Heritage Park.

Clark and Gracin will be joined by Taylor sensation Lynnae Winnie and the award-winning Justine Blazer in free concerts on Friday, July 11. Clark, the headliner, will play until dusk, when the Masco Fireworks hit the sky.

Tickets for the second day of concerts, July 12, are on sale for $10 at the Meijer stores in Taylor, Lincoln Park, Southgate and Woodhaven. Joining the Charlie Daniels Band will be Confederate Railroad, newcomer Emily West and local favorite Redhill.

The Meijer Taylor Summer Festival features four days of carnival rides, games, special events, entertainment, food, beverages and fun for the whole family.

The Friday night concerts and Masco Fireworks – the largest, most impressive fireworks south of Detroit – attract up to 100,000 people annually to Heritage Park, located at 12111 Pardee Road. In fact, the crowd gets so large that Pardee closes between Goddard and Northline roads at about 6 p.m.

Concerts have been a part of Taylor’s Summer Festival the last two decades. The top acts include established national stars – such as Daniels and Clark – and up-and-coming acts.

Tickets for this year’s show went on sale Friday. In addition to the four Meijer locations, tickets can be purchased at all TicketMaster outlets and on line at www.ticketmaster.com.

The gates of Heritage Park’s concert area will open at 3 p.m. on both July 11 and 12. There will be parking on site and at satellite locations with shuttle bus service in the Heritage Park area.

Charlie Daniels is a legendary country superstar who was inducted into the world-famous Grand Ole Opry earlier this year after making music for 50 years. His signature song, “The Devil Went Down to Georgia,” topped both country and pop charts. Daniels has had hits on the rock, country, pop and Christian charts and awards from the Country Music Association (CMA), Academy of Country Music (ACM), TNN/Music City News Awards and Gospel Music Association (GMA).

Confederate Railroad is known for its high-energy combination of honky-tonk rockers, sensitive ballads and offbeat humor. The group’s hits include “Queen of Memphis” and “Daddy Never was the Cadillac Kind.”

Emily West, with her hit “Rocks in Your Shoes,” is a new voice in country music.

Redhill is a Detroit-based band whose debut CD, “You Get What You Get,” won the 2007 Detroit Music Award for Outstanding Country Album. Redhill’s music is described as “flavorful full-bodied country music with a blues-rock edge.”

Terri Clark is a Canadian artist whose first single, “Better Things to Do,” reached No. 3 on Billboard’s Hot Country Singles and Tracks back in 1995. She followed that up with No. 1 hits “You’re Easy on the Eyes” and “Girls Lie Too,” plus other top 10 songs such as “Poor, Poor Pitiful Me,” “When Boy Meets Girl,” “If I Were You” and “Emotional Girl.” Like Daniels, Clark has been a CMA and ACM nominee and is a Grand Ole Opry member.

Josh Gracin, a former Marine and Westland native, describes his shows as “live-wire, rocking country that blends wit and wholesome fun; inspiring story songs about being true to oneself; moral tales rich with Middle-American values and a strong spiritual core; and songs that celebrate the down-to-earth lifestyle.”

Justine Blazer received three nominations in 2007 for the Detroit Music Awards for outstanding vocalist, outstanding songwriter and outstanding artist and one nomination in 2008 for country album of the year. She won the Detroit Blues Challenge competition in 2007.

Lynnae Winnie is a Taylor sensation who opened for the Cheetah Girls during the 2007 Meijer Taylor Summer Festival and has played many large venues. At age 14, the Truman High School student has performed The National Anthem nine times at Detroit Pistons, Red Wings and Tigers games. Just recently, she won Colgate Country Showdown district competition and qualified to sing August 30 at the Michigan State Fair.

The concerts during the Meijer Taylor Summer Festival are made possible with the support of Meijer, 106.7 The Fox, the City of Taylor and Budweiser.

The concerts are produced by Watts Up Inc., a full-service event marketing firm specializing in community events at public and private venues, event and product marketing, brand introduction, advertising plan development and services. The firm, headquartered in Plymouth, specializes in quality entertainment for the entire family.

Among events produced by Watts are some of the more lasting and enduring large-scale events in the region, including the Original Downtown Hoedown, the Plymouth International Ice Sculpture Festival and the Motor City PraiseFest, the Annual Village of Rochester Hills Ice Carving Festival, the City of Warren 50th Birthday Bash and others. More information is available at www.wattsupinc.com.

2008 Meijer Taylor Summer Festival Concert Schedule

Friday, July 11
3 p.m. Gates Open
4 p.m. Lynnae Winnie
5:15 p.m. Justine Blazer
7 p.m. Josh Gracin
8:45 p.m. Terri Clark
Dusk Fireworks

Saturday, July 12
3 p.m. Gates Open
4 p.m. Redhill
5 p.m. Emily West
6:30 p.m. Confederate Railroad
8:30 p.m. Charlie Daniels Band

Tickets to Saturday’s performances are $10 at the Meijer store at Taylor, Lincoln Park, Southgate and Woodhaven, at TicketMaster Outlets and on line at www.ticketmaster.com.